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I find myself agreeing with you on a number of points Aragorn. I do think this is a better renewal than last year and also that Excellent Art could prove to be more than useful.
I have also noticed that a lot of people seem to be much happier putting down current horses rather than just assessing them on their relative merits. Ok so Dylan Thomas may not be the best King George winner. But he is a proper group 1 horse and demolished what was put up against him. So he won’t be rated as another Mill Reef or even a Montjeu, why not just enjoy what is happening now.
Perhaps like you say it is the weather.
Dylan Thomas is a top quality animal given good ground.. The only reason he isn’t so good on soft is that it blunts his speed (There are plenty of older group milers who would struggle to keep pace with him if you ask me)..
Excellent Art’s St James Palace win has probably been blighted by the fact that Cockney Rebel was injured.. But ignoring that he won well going away from the field, in what was a good group 1 (Or does anyone want to contest that?!!)
Ramonti has already proved he’s well up to group 2 standard and deserves his place in the field, Asiatic Boy is basically as good if not better than discreet cat in terms of what he achieved in Dubai and he was the next pegasus according to some.. And I think people are ignoring Jeremy at their peril.. He, imo, is possibly the bext 7f horse in the UK at the moment.. And to use the age old cliche, Stoute is a master with older horses.. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be Excellent Art’s nearest challenger..
Personally I think this has been a pretty decent flat season so far.. So the KG wasn;t great but we’ve had dual guineas winners in both sexes, an impressive Derby winner.. Two top class staying fillies (Peeping Fawn and Light Shift) and Zambezi Sun looks a proper horse as well.. Not to mention a decent crop of older fillies for the young ones to shoot.. The Nassau promises to be a cracker.. Cheer up lads!!!
Aidan O’Brien on the Sussex:
"Archipenko dropped down in trip in the Eclipse, and now we are dropping him down again. If there is no pace on, he won’t mind going along in front."
Just so you all know
Are you suggesting he is there merely as a pacemaker Gareth.
Outrageous! And yes I think you might just be right, I still don’t think Scorpion was there just for that purpose though!
Sounds to me like Archipenko is their to upset Ramonti and to try and get him to battle for the lead…setting things up nicely for Excellent Art. Just kidding of course, that would never happen, would it?
Ramonti doesn’t guarantee a decent pace even if he is sent to the front (as is likely).
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Sounds to me like Archipenko is their to upset Ramonti and to try and get him to battle for the lead…setting things up nicely for Excellent Art. Just kidding of course, that would never happen, would it?
Every chance, I’d say!
I would suggest that Archipenko is there to win the race, rather than set it up for Excellent Art. He was an impressive winner on his final start at 2 having made all, and beat Yellowstone comfortably on reappearance when racing close to the pace.
Given a length or two from the start, he’ll go well.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised in this case if Archipenko and / or Trinity Island is there to take Ramonti on. Its different to Scorpion in that Archipenko doesn’t have the sort of form to win this race and letting Ramonti have a soft lead wouldn’t do Excellent Art any favours at all.
Given a strong gallop Excellent Art has got to be difficult to beat just as long as Spencer can get a run up the rail, being Spencer I can’t see him pulling wide so he’s going to have to trust a little bit to luck in running.
Well O’Briens horses did set the race up for Excellent Art and Spencer I thought gave the horse a fine ride the horse just wasn’t really going early on and Ramonti was always well placed and quickened at the right time. Excellent Art stayed on strongly but didn’t really quicken enough.
Thats how I read it.
Personally I thought Frankie did well to avoid the Coolmore tactics, and sit nicely off the pace. And I say this as someone who bet almost entirely on the basis that the tactics would "spoil" Ramonti and Asiatic Boy. (Well done to Corals/tdk who ducked Ramonti early).
It probably did mess up Asiatic Boy. For me I was quite taken by the way he plugged on, and having proven he acts on turf, I’d take him as a positive from the race.
It was a fantastic piece of tactics from Godolphin; and a fine show of versatility from the horse to be able to cope with the change in how he was ridden.
Am I the only one who thinks that for once Coolmore made a tactical error in allowing the other 2 ballydoyle horses to set such a fast pace.
Ramonti has an abundance of stamina for a miler rather than brilliant acceleration and actually was placed in the Italian derby over 12f. He appears an 8/10f horse rather than a blinding miler.
If I am right a slow muddled pace would probably have suited Excellent Arts kick far more than Ramonti and Dettori would have been forced to make his own pace and probably been picked off by Excellent Art.
An unusual mistabe by Coolmore and I await their tactics in the QE 2 with some interest if both the principles turn up.
Completely agree. Excellent Art has a proper turn of foot, why run it out of him? They don’t get it wrong often but i’d say they did on this occasion. Wasn’t even Spencer’s fault?!
All of Ramonti’s best form prior to yesterday had also come from the front. It was a sound idea not to let him have an uncontested lead, a sounder ride still from Dettori not to take them on.
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